EOI for British Council Cultural Protection Fund grant applications

The British Council invites expressions of interest for small grant applications of under £100k to the Cultural Protection Fund. Funding is available for projects to protect cultural heritage in North Africa and the Middle East.

The £30 million Cultural Protection Fund currently supports a variety of projects that protect heritage at risk. These are predominantly located in areas of the Middle East and North Africa affected by conflict. The fund works in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The expression of interest stage of the process offers the opportunity for teams to tell the Cultural Protection Fund team about their projects and to confirm their suitability for funding. If successful, teams will be invited to submit a full application.

The next deadline for expressions of interest deadline is 20th July. The British Council encourages early submissions. All submissions will gain a response within ten working days of the submission date. The following application deadline is 10th August 2018.

The Fund launched in June 2016. It now supports 19 projects in conflict-affected countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

The aim is to build skills so that local experts become able to protect their own cultural assets for future generations. The plan is that sites under threat should be documented, conserved and restored. The hope is that local people will be able to identify and value their cultural heritage.

At present the Council is backing various projects which include:

Preserving the megalithic dolmens of Mengez, in the Akkar region of Northern Lebanon (with a view to optimising tourism).

Preserving and revitalising the tradition of domed houses in Syria with a view to offering housing to displaced Syrian families.

Protecting and preserving historical archaeological sites in the Gaze Strip, including the Saint Hilarion monastery and the Byzantine church at Jabaliyah.